Javier tossed seven scoreless innings Wednesday for High-A Buies Creek in its 7-3 win over Myrtle Beach. He gave up four hits and a walk and struck out eight.
Javier swung between the bullpen and rotation for various low-level affiliates through his first three professional seasons, but the Astros have seemingly committed to developing him as a starter in 2018. That plan has paid major dividends thus far, with the 21-year-old running up a 1.47 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 94:28 K:BB in 67.1 innings while splitting time between Buies Creek and Low-A Quad Cities. Javier leans heavily on his slider as a put-away pitch, but the right-hander is still looking to find more consistency with his changeup. He'll likely need to diversify his arsenal a little more at the higher levels of the minors to find continued success and convince the organization he's capable of starting over the long haul.